A Gospel Shaped Heart
The Gospel Story • Sermon • Submitted
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Handout
Announcements
Announcements
Introduction
Introduction
dismiss children
Great to be back.
Thankful for an awesome two years.
If you’ve been here since July 7 2019, would you please stand. Don’t be shy.
Round of applause.
What an amazing two years it’s been.pandemic, outdoor services, great outreach opportunities, chairs, funds being raised for a remodel.
People saved, baptized, and discipled, people joining the church and jumping into serve teams.
LBC is a great place to be.
This morning we are continuing in our gospel story series where we are going through the bible and seeing the gospel from Genesis to Revelations.
Today we are in 1 Kings 11 and will be looking at Solomon near the end of his reign.
Before we get there though, let me ask you something.
How many of you know what weathering is?
Weathering is the breaking down of rock or other natural substance by acts of weather. Erosion is the carrying away of the substance and then deposition is the area that the sediment ends up in.
One of the most famous areas that has been weathered and eroded over time is Niagra falls
As you can see on the image here, the falls have been slowly backing up over time.
Weathering and erosion is typically something that doesn’t happen fast. It slowly takes place over time.
And no matter how fast or slow the job gets done.
Ever noticed the difference between a river rock and a rock you find out in nature?
River Rocks] have smooth surfaces with no jagged edges. A stone in nature that hasn’t had water moving over it has a rough and rocky surface.
Weathering of rocks can take place with any liquid. Water, gatorade, poison. It doesn’t matter.
Just as the land of the earth is effected by the elements that it is surrounded with, so is your heart.
Your heart, not the physical organ, but the inner core of who you are. Your thoughts, feelings, emotions, desires, and ambitions.
You are impacted by your surroundings. Why do you think marketers work so hard at getting their info in front of you? Why do you think they work so hard at studying demographics, likes and dislikes, effects of colors on the psyche?
Because we are impacted by what is around us.
As you go through life your heart is formed and shaped by the weathering of your surroundings.
What are you allowing to shape your heart? The gospel? The life giving water of the word of God?
Jesus said
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Or is it the poison the world offers? The anger and hatred toward someone who believes differently? The influence of movies, tv shows, and media? Social media outlets and influencers foul language, dance videos, or ideas as to how you should live?
What shapes your heart?
Unlike the landscape of the earth, you have a choice about what will weather your heart and how it will be developed.
Will you be shaped by the world or will you be shaped by the gospel?
Solomon early in life made a choice to allow God to shape his heart but later on, he began to open himself up to the influences fo the world and found that his heart, who he was as a person, had changed into someone that would not lead a kingdom united into the future but be the reason the kingdom would fall.
My question for you today as I preach is this: Do you want to finish like solomon or like Paul?
Solomon wrote
11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
Paul wrote
7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
Follow along with me as we read of Solomon’s downfall and examine how you can have a Gospel Shaped heart.
1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
2 Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father.
7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.
8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.
PRAY
I. Your Heart is Impacted by what you allow to influence it
I. Your Heart is Impacted by what you allow to influence it
As you saw in verses 1-3 Solomon surrounded himself with foreign women.
The word in verse 1 for loved is translated from the Hebrew word that is often used for lust. He desired many strange women.
Now Solomon should have known better for a number of reason but the most important one is that God told the Israelites what would happen if their king did the things Solomon did.
17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
If he multiplies wives to himself, his heart would turn away.
Now here God chose to just say wives but notice the command to the Israelites as a nation concerning foreign wives
14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
15 Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;
16 And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.
God knows the influence a woman has in a man’s life. Solomon would have known these verses, he would have read the scrolls and been taught them from his youth.
Yet still in the end, he chose to surround himself by what the Lord said would effect him negatively.
You have to know that External Stimulus will impact internal reactions.
Take this limestone for instances. Many would say that the rock can’t be destroyed. It’s a very hard substance.
When it’s surrounded with something bad, vinager, watch what happens.
See how it’s quickly eroding away. Now, for the sake of this illustration annd us not wanting to wait for something to happen, I needed this to go quicker than if it were happening naturally.
In life, you heart may not be molded this fast. It may happen over time. But you must know, that who you are is being developed and it’s largely based upon the influences you allow into your life.
So what do you allow to influence you? Do you have somone in your life that is a negative nelly? how do you feel around them? Negative, frustrated, upset.
Have someone on social media or a particular page that puts out content that gets you upset? unfollow them, unfriend them, block them…It’s ok to protect yourself.
because you may not notice the effects of the negative influence quickly why?
II. Your Heart hardens slowly
II. Your Heart hardens slowly
4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
When Solomon was old, after living in this sinful lifestyle for so long, his heart turned away from the Lord.
This is why it’s ok to tell someone “I’m sorry, I don’t want to hear about (insert topic that draws you from the Lord here)”
If someone says “Hey did you here about so and so or about this siutation” Or maybe they say it all Christian like “Hey, make sure you keep so and so in prayer, their husband is a piece of garbage.”
Don’t use prayer requests to gossip.
You can say no to those things. No I don’t want to hear. No I don’t want to take part in this. No I don’t want to see.
That’s what Solomon himself meant in
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.
24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, And perverse lips put far from thee.
25 Let thine eyes look right on, And let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26 Ponder the path of thy feet, And let all thy ways be established.
In order to keep your heart focused on the right things, and your feet on the path God has for you, you must put on some blinders.
You must be willing to say this word.
NO (Big letters on the screen)
And this isn’t just no to bad things. We must be willing to say no to good things that distract us from the more important things in life.
We too often say yes to work and no to family. We say yes to doing this, that, or the other when what we really need is a little rest.
We have become a culture that promotes the hustle lifestyle of making more, doing more, and altogether seeking to always be busy.
I’m as guilty as anyone for allowing this to overtake me from time to time.
How do we stop it? One Word
NO (Big letters on the screen)
It’s easy to say no when there is a bigger yes burning inside. What’s your yes?
It should first and foremost be the Lord
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
then yourself and your family.
You need rest. You were made to have rest.
27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
The Sabbath is a gift from God. Now we are not beholden to it like the Israelites are. But the principle of rest is from the Lord.
Solomon got so caught up in his life, his desires, his lusts, his wives and their wants, their false god, that his heart turned away slowly over time.
The devil works in very subtle ways
3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
Paul is saying “it’s simple to follow Christ don’t let the devil turn you from it”
How are you guarding your heart? How are you saying no to the things that are distracting you from the Lord? Maybe you are finding yourself at a time where you aren’t saying no to anything. You aren’t say no to ungodly entertainment, you are not saying no to ungodly friends, you are not saying no to events or causes, you are just running from one things to another doing a lot and feeling like nothing is getting accomplished. All the while your relationship with the Lord is suffering.
What do you need to say No to?
Solomon should have said no to a lot of things. Because
III. The State of your heart has consequences
III. The State of your heart has consequences
9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,
10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded.
11 Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.
Now, I’ve said this before. Every bad thing that happens to us isn’t a “divine judgement” from God. Could it be? Sure.
But we also have to understand the simple cause and effect that He has built into the universe.
Newton’s third law states that for every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction. If object A exerts a force on object B, object B also exerts an equal and opposite force on object A.
You know who created those laws right? Wasn’t Newton. Newton just discovered it.
God created those laws.
While newton was observing the physical universe, I believe that it holds true in spiritual matters.
Notice what James wrote:
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.
Lust, desires, desires that aren’t from the Lord, lead us to sin.
Solomon’s desires for foreign women. Your desires for whatever it is you struggle with.
Lead to sin. Sin brings death. It’s not just the physical death that we face, it is the spiritual death and decay that can take place even in the believers heart.
Remember, James was writing to Christians here, not unbeleivers.
The more negative, unbiblical, things you allow to influence you and turn your heart away, the more like you are to see the reprecussions in your life around you.
Solomon’s children would fight and divide the kingdom because of his actions.
What is taking place in your life because of your lack of focus on Christ? What is being neglected? Your own spiritual maturity? Your families growth in Christ? Are you intentionally pointing yourself and others toward Christ?
The state of your heart has consequences.
What are you allowing to shape your heart?
What happens when we allow the gospel to shape our heart?
IV. A Gospel Shaped heart has the right focus
IV. A Gospel Shaped heart has the right focus
Look with me at Ecc 2 and see what Solomon wrote in his old age
4 I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:
5 I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:
6 I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:
7 I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:
8 I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.
9 So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.
10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.
11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
I did all these amazing things, I had women, servants, animals, great homes, nice cars, admiration of people, I worked at building an empire and in the end, it was all vanity it was all vexation (an eating away at, a consuming) of my spirit. it amounted to nothing.
Why? Because it was all for Him. It was all because of the influences he had allowed around him. It was all for naught because it was all not for Christ.
Solomon wasn’t always this foolish.
10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, And knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;
11 Discretion shall preserve thee, Understanding shall keep thee:
12 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, From the man that speaketh froward things;
13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, To walk in the ways of darkness;
14 Who rejoice to do evil, And delight in the frowardness of the wicked;
15 Whose ways are crooked, And they froward in their paths:
He wrote here about wisdom and knowledge being pleasant. In another proverb, he acknowledged that the beginning of wisdom is the fear (love, reverence, and respect) for the Lord.
Discretion preserves you Understanding keeps you
Discretion is defined as the right of someone to make choices or the quality of someone who is careful about what they do or say.
Understanding speaks to your comprehension.
A gospel shaped heart comprehends what it means to be saved by grace through faith in Jesus. A gospel shaped heart understands what it means to be completely undeserving of Jesus’ sacrifice and what it means to be fully accepted by Jesus anyway.
A gospel shaped heart has the discretion to say no to influences that detract from their walk with the Lord and their ability to glorify Him and preach the gospel.
Solomon lost these traits as his heart was shaped by the poison of the world around him.
Paul reminded us what happened to him when he trusted in Jesus and what happens to us when we accept the gospel
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
You don’t have to be that person you used to be. You can be a new Creature in Christ. You don’t have to follow the world, you don’t have to be around, you don’t have to watch, young people look up here, you don’t have to take part in what others are doing. I don’t care what pressures you are facing.
We are called to proclaim Christ in word and deed, not just on Sunday. Have a spiritual backbone and be willing to say no to things that will detract you from living for the Lord.
I want to close with some very practical points for you. Write these down, take a note in your phone, this is where the jelly meets the bottom shelf.
Solomon did not do these things and it resulted in destruction
Paul kept them and saw his life have eternal significance.
Jesus exemplified them and is the reason we should seek to
How to have and maintain a gospel shaped heart
How to have and maintain a gospel shaped heart
1.Faith in Jesus
1.Faith in Jesus
2. Guard your heart
2. Guard your heart
3. Keep short accounts with God
3. Keep short accounts with God
4. Ask God daily “Lead Me”-Ps 139:23-24
4. Ask God daily “Lead Me”-Ps 139:23-24
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: Try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.
Time of Response
Time of Response
PRAYER, DON”T SAY AMEN
Are you hear this morning and don’t know Jesus as your Savior. If you’d like to make the decision and cause for a party in Heaven and here on earth to take place as there is celebration and rejoicing.
If you’ve never received jesus as your savior. This is not Not weird, it’s private moment.
Jesus came and done all the work, you don’t earn or achieve your salvation, receive by faith, gift
gift of god eternal life through jesus Christ
Romans says you receive that gift in prayer by calling on the name of the Lord, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the lord shall be saved
If you’d like to make that decision
if this is your heart
you can pray in faith and invite Jesus to be your personal savior
“Jesus I admit I need a savior, I’m sinful. I know I need salvation, reconciliation with God. I believe you are God and you came and died in my place and you bore my sin, and you rose again, and right now I accept you as my savior, I’m trusting you alone.”
My friend it’s that simple
If that’s your payer you have recieved the greatest gift you have ver received.
I want to congratulate you if that is your decision.
Christians, have you been allowing influences to detract from your walk with the Lord. What’s an influence you could remove this week that would better help you live for Jesus?
PRAY